Uzumaki Triangle
Author: Ladelle
Rating: M
Summary: Naruto's the new kid and Gaara's the ex that can't forget. Did I mention Sasuke loves a challenge?
Comments: Wahoo! Let the boy-love begin
I'm not entirely sure how to begin this entry, so I suppose I'll start with the obvious and see where it takes me. My entire life, I've been about as straight as a circle.
An unfortunate realization for the average male, I know. You don't have to cry for me, or anything. I mean, I'm one of the lucky ones—I've never found women attractive. I mean, I've dated a few, and it was rough. God help the poor soul who discovers he's a homo when he's 40, married and with kids. Ouch. I'd hate to explain that one to the in laws. But, fortunately I will never have to deal with that predicament. Instead, I'll have to settle for the one that's right in front of me, wearing nothing but boxers and reading a manga.
Actually, that's a lie. He has a manga in his hand and it's open, but he's pretty much staring at me. He looks kind of angry, too. It's not an oddity, for him. Meet my roommate, Sasuke Uchiha—the moodiest kid you'll ever meet in your life, and in my book, the sexiest. You may wonder why he's angry, and be slightly intrigued by the fact he's slouched into a position that would drive any normal person mad, and you might even want to hear about how well toned his muscles look against the navy green sheets on his four poster. Let me be the one to tell you that this little show is all for me—a little pout fest (an undeniably attractive one) because I'm over here writing in a journal and not, well, you know…over there.
I'm betting that above wondering how damn attractive he looks right now, you're wondering how me, a blonde smartass, managed to end up with him. Believe me when I say that I'm as surprised as you…I never would have guessed that he would be attracted to me, of all people, or even gay for that matter. But life has a funny way of working things out—either that or God's got a really jacked up sense of humor, and I've given up on arguing…especially when he licks his lips like that.
Awe, man. He knows that I'm distracted now, and he's even smiling. Awe, God. I'm not going to make it much longer guys so I'm going to have to be quick.
I'll be cliché, for the sake of time, and also for the raven-haired bombshell who's slowly making his way to my bed.
It all started about six months ago, when I was finally released from Harmony Orphanage. Sixteen years old and sent to the tigers—the most profound school in the entire city, Konoha Private.
I've met friends, had boyfriends…secrets and lies. But only one guy constantly drew me in. In fact…
He's working his magic now and I really, really…really have to go. I know you're intrigued now, so I'll let the narrator take over.
Ja ne!
Chapter One: First Encounters of the Not-So-Straight Kind
Naruto eyed the school with a bored expression, his bright blue eyes examining the property and taking in his surroundings. The building was massive, an old relic that at one point in time was most likely a religious base, and the few students scattered about on the freshly mowed yard were all dressed in pristine uniforms with intelligent features. His eyebrow cocked in amusement as he looked down to his attire. Jeans, white tee, orange windbreaker. Not quite up to par with the schooling Harmony had chosen for him.
He sighed. It was enough that he had finally turned sixteen and was able to escape his unstable life as an adoptee, flying from house to house at the whim of a dissatisfied parent, but he had never known wealth in all his throes of households, and in his opinion, his inheritance was being wasted on the pretty scenery before him. He wasn't a private school student, and he knew that better than anyone else.
A bell toned over the property, one that sounded suspiciously like a steeple chime, and Naruto groaned. There were two reasons why he was upset.
1.) He was late for his first class.
2.) Religion and homosexuality hardly ever went well together.
Taking a deep breath, he trudged forward, praying that the main office would be easy to find.
Sure enough, it was not-so-easily located on the other side of the school, and Naruto felt even more distanced from the rich poplar as they stared somewhat intensely at his clothing. Some girls looked slightly intrigued, and Naruto inwardly sighed. He supposed he was lucky to not appear flamboyantly gay, but it was always a hassle to shake away the opposite sex.
When the office came into view, he swept himself in, searching for the inquiring eyes of a receptionist. One happened to be seated directly in front of the doorway, and was giving him a wry look.
"Can I help you?" Her tone didn't suggest any hint of helpful intention.
Naruto spoke anyway. "I'm a new student here. Naruto Uzumaki's the name."
The lady raised an eyebrow before shuffling through a collection of papers on her desk. She pulled a thick folder from the bunch and nodded with certainty.
"Didn't our phone call advise you to arrive early to fill out the paperwork?" She was attaching papers to a clipboard for him to fill out.
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Ano…It's a little difficult to estimate walking time on your first day."
The lady smiled lazily and handed him the clipboard. "Fill this out and I'll find someone who can be your escort for today."
Naruto laughed. "Escort?" This rich people stuff was too much.
The lady looked up at him impatiently. "We wouldn't want you getting into any trouble now, would we?"
Naruto took the hint and found an empty seat near the door. The paperwork was normal school stuff, except for a small page about dreams and aspirations. It was a little lame, because for the most part, he had no idea what he expected from Konoha Private. He had been thrown to the wolves by his boarding house, probably for being the most troublesome kid there. Somewhere high in the sky, God was laughing.
He finished up the paperwork in a mere half hour, and apparently right on time. A homeroom bell chimed and the halls were immediately filled with students, and from the cloud of black and white uniforms emerged a boy who looked rather disheveled and perhaps even annoyed. He didn't appear the way Naruto would have expected a collegiate boy to appear, because, frankly, he looked extremely lazy.
The boy was tall and lean, with a tanned complexion and focused eyes. His hair was slicked back into a tiny ponytail, his uniform wasn't quite buttoned, and a loose tie hung limp at his shoulders.
"You called?"
His question was aimed at the receptionist, and she looked agitated.
"Shikamaru, button your jacket and tie your tie. You aren't paying our expensive tuition to look like that."
Shikamaru only shrugged, and Naruto immediately decided that he had found his first friend.
The receptionist began speaking suddenly, ignoring the fact that Shikamaru had ignored her completely. "Shikamaru, this is Naruto Uzumaki. He's a new student, and I would like you to show him around today. Here is his schedule."
She handed him a crisp piece of paper, and Naruto stood to introduce himself. He bowed slightly and pulled his small backpack up around his shoulder. The receptionist had already wandered off when Shikamaru nudged towards the door.
They left the main office and Shikamaru grinned. "You don't look at all like you belong here."
Naruto shrugged. "Neither do you."
Shikamaru didn't even glance down at himself, he merely smiled. "What made you transfer to a place like this?"
Naruto grinned. "I had no choice in the matter. Let's say it was a form of punishment for my previous schooling experiences."
Shikamaru looked slightly intrigued. "A troublemaker, eh?"
Naruto laughed. "The number one most surprising person you'll ever meet."
The halls had cleared out by the time they reached their first destination which happened to be a set of closet size lockers. They were steel and unscratched, with little numbers hinged above a lock combination.
"Looks like you're 734. Here's your combo." Shikamaru hand a small piece of paper to Naruto that was attached to his schedule. He studied it for a moment, and then quickly twisted his lock. As soon as the door had opened it was closing.
"Someone should have told me I had a closet waiting here. Yeesh."
"Your first class in the morning is English Comp. You already missed that. Second hour is homeroom for everyone and it looks like you've got it with me. We're almost there."
The halls were insanely elaborate, with murals and stained glass lining the upper rims. Portraits of previous principles lined the walls, along with photographs of school activities that were neatly decorated on bulletins. Every hall looked the same, and the floor was immaculately clean marble. The classrooms were enormous in size and lined exactly parallel, and Naruto knew that he was destined to get lost.
The room that they stopped at was labeled 'English', and Shikamaru knelt against the wall. Naruto looked confused. "Shouldn't we go in?"
"No, it would be troublesome to walk in late. There's only about fifteen minutes left anyway."
Naruto nodded. "Where is my next class?"
Shikamaru glanced down at the schedule. "Looks like Statistics with Iruka Sensei. That one won't be too bad. Let's just go there before the crowds catch up. Afterwards is lunch. You can come with me. I'll introduce you to table 7."
Naruto looked confused, but followed Shikamaru regardless.
It seemed like forever until lunch, and Naruto's stomach was screaming. He had lived off of instant ramen in the past, and the buffet in the cafeteria was enough to make him think he had died and gone to heaven. He followed Shikamaru closely, feeling a little like a lost dog in doing so. Still, he was grateful to have an acquaintance. He carefully selected his meal, pulling some miso and rice from the carefully arranged stand. After he had a satisfied tray he followed Shikamaru to what he supposed was 'table seven'. Shikamaru wasted no time in introducing him. "This is Naruto, he's new."
The table nodded and slowly began introducing themselves. A boy with ruffled hair and dark eyes spoke first. "Nice to meet'cha. Name's Kiba."
Beside him was more solemn looking character with a raised collar and gelled hair. "Shino." He said.
A few girls were seated at the end, all of which introduced themselves, leading Naruto to the boy next to him. And Naruto felt his chest tighten.
Naruto had never been shy in his life. Conservative, maybe. Cautious, perhaps. But blonde and blushing—never. There was something about the next boy that made him…nervous. Fidgety even. And strangely, drawn in.
The boy's body made an impassive ark onto the table, his chin resting delicately on his folded wrist. A position made by anyone else would be considered lethargic, but by him seemed completely intentional. His eyes were dark and passionate against his pale skin, and his lips thin and flushed. The whole table seemed to pause at the announcement of his name, which Shikamaru mentioned so quickly that it was nearly inaudible. Naruto was disappointed not to catch it, but felt a heavy weight not to ask for it to be repeated.
The boy next to him shifted and as if lifted from a trance, Shikamaru spoke.
"It seems like we're missing someone."
One of the girls, one named Ino, spoke. "Chouji—he went out to eat with his parents today."
"Ah," Shikamaru said, and the conversation drifted into a discussion over Ino's upcoming birthday. Naruto sat and listened, feeling slightly left out, but grateful to have such a personable lunch table. He focused on his meal and the conversation, carefully avoiding the desire to take one more look at his neighbor.
The lunch hour ended soon enough, and Naruto was grateful to have Shikamaru show him to his next class. Though he was used to being solitary, he concluded that having friends, at least in this school, was going to be interesting.
The ending bell chimed over the campus, and Naruto drifted to the front courtyard, Shikamaru still dutifully by his side. They had been talking for a while now, and Naruto was beginning to feel a little more like himself.
"No, really," Shikamaru was saying, "I've shadowed the strangest people around this place…I'm grateful to get someone cool for once."
Naruto laughed. "Not sure about that, but I'm glad we met, too."
A yell came from behind the duo, and they turned to an excited Ino. She was jogging up to them, flushed and anxious. She stopped in front of them and held up a hand while she caught her breath.
"I forgot to tell you to come to my party tonight, Naruto. And you to, Maru-chan. You know how crushed I'll be if you ditch."
"You shouldn't call me that. It's annoying." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" She laughed and looked at Naruto. "Do you need directions?"
"I'll take him if he wants to go." Shikamaru said shortly, and Ino smiled. "Great—but if you don't come, you're really going to be missing out."
Naruto laughed and she disappeared into the crowd of students malling the parking lot.
"I'm not sure what your parties are like here," Naruto said, and glanced up at Shikamaru.
"Music, beer, people…Not bad. You don't have to go though—she's just pushy. It is your first day, after all."
Naruto considered for a moment, and nodded his head in decision.. "You know, I think I would like to go."
Shikamaru laughed. "I was hoping you'd say that. Us guys always find ways to make the girl parties fun."
Naruto gave a two fingered salute as Shikamaru left, and sighed to himself. Playing the straight act was always a challenge. Add one mesmerizing guy to the mix, and it was nearly impossible. Naruto knew, unfortunately, from experience.
A/N-- Good times.